Yemen Consultations: Breakthrough Follows Stumbling Blocks

Yemen consultations in Kuwait resumed on Monday after they were suspended for two days. The resumption is a result of diplomatic efforts made by the Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and the ambassadors of the 18 countries sponsoring the peace process.

Asharq Al-Awsat learned from Yemeni government sources that the three committees emerging from the consultations resumed their work after a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Yemen Abdulmalik Al-Mekhlafi and U.N. envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh. The sources quoted Al-Mekhlafi as emphasizing “the need to determine the timeframe and limit of the consultations.”

On his part, Deputy Prime Minister and member of the government delegation at the consultations Abdulaziz Jabbari criticized the “Houthi-Saleh” delegation’s refusal to discuss the implementation of the terms of U.N. resolution 2216, and their insistence on the formation of a national unity government.

Jabbari told Asharq Al-Awsat that “whenever we talked about surrendering weapons or withdrawing from cities and institutions at the consultations, they said that they want to form a national unity government.”

Meanwhile, Royal Saudi Air Defense forces intercepted a ballistic missile at dawn Monday. The missile was fired from Yemeni territory and was directed at Saudi Arabia.

According to the leadership of the alliance supporting legitimacy, Royal Saudi Air Defense forces destroyed the missile without causing any damage.

The leadership of the alliance said in a statement that it considers the firing of the ballistic missile a serious escalation by the Houthi militias and forces of the ousted president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, at a time when the alliance is seeking to cooperate with the international community in order to keep the calm and maintain the successes of the Kuwait consultations.